No deals this session on campaign finance, abortion in NYS legislature

This morning we reported that Gov. Andrew Cuomo was facing some troubles getting his major issues through the legislature, including his Women’s Equality Act and campaign finance reform. Each has been blocked in the state Senate, where Republicans and the four-member Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), who together control it, are refusing to allow votes on some of Cuomo’s favorite issues.

Last night, the IDC’s Jeff Klein introduced a version of Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Act without the controversial abortion provision, the New York Post reports. And, as the Albany Times-Union’s Capitol Confidential blog reports, Cuomo’s campaign finance measures aren’t likely to pass the Senate, either. Today on the public radio program Capitol Pressroom (link to audio), Cuomo told host Susan Arbetter that if there’s not a version of that bill he can live with, he’ll convene a Moreland Act ethics commission this summer to

“review the way we finance campaigns … review the intersection of money and politics and government in the State of New York. If you find cases, send them to the DA and tell us how to make the system better.” (quote taken from Capitol Confidential)

It should be a big week in the legislature, but, it seems, not for those issues.

Tags: abortion, assembly, campaign finance, Cuomo, government, legislature, senate